Bedtime Routine
by tivafanintheusa
Summary: The time he gets with his three year old is his favorite part about their bedtime routine. It's Ziva's too.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: One shot number two! Thanks for all of the kind words on the first one. Hope you like this one…the one I'm planning on expanding on is coming in the next few days. Happy reading, and thanks! ~tivafanintheusa**

"Daddy! I right here!" cried Alizah. Tony spun to the right.

"Nope," he said, drawing out the word, "no little munchkin over here!"

"No! I over here Daddy!" Tony spun to the left.

"Hmmm…no again. Where could my princess be?" He spun in a circle again, coming to a stop when he caught sight of his wife leaning on the door frame, arms crossed and a smile on her face as she watched her husband and three year old interact. This was her favorite part of their nighttime routine. Tony gave her one of his smiles reserved just for her before winking at her, inviting her to play along.

"Hey mommy…have you seen Ali?"

"No, I have not! Where could that little ape have gotten off to?"

Tony had to choke back his laughter. "It's little MONKEY, Sweet Cheeks, and I don't know! I've looked everywhere."

"Mommy! Daddy! I right _here_!" Ali exclaimed. All of a sudden Tony seemed to notice the extra weight on his shoulder. Pulling his three year old back so he could see her face he exclaimed, "well, looky there! There's daddy's little princess!" He pressed a kiss to her cheek, smiling when she squirmed and giggled because of the stubble brushing against her face, a result of not shaving for more than twenty four hours. He had been planning to, but Ziva had other ideas. Ideas he was quite fine with going a day without shaving for.

Alizah smiled and wrapped her arms around her father, burying her face in his neck in an adorable toddler hug. Ziva's heart warmed at the sight, and she made her way into the room, wrapping her right arm around Tony's waist as she circled him and came to a stop on his left. Tony shifted Alizah onto his right hip, freeing his left arm to wrap around Ziva's shoulders and draw her closer. He placed a soft kiss to her temple.

"You're a great mom to Ali, you know. And you're going to be just as great with her little brother or sister, too," he added with a nod and a small smile to Ziva's seven month pregnant stomach.

Ziva placed her left hand on her stomach, smiling down softly. She looked back up into her husband's emerald green eyes, shining down on her with such love and admiration that it made her heart flip, and butterflies bounce around in her stomach. She loved that he could still make her feel this way. "Thank you," she said quietly. "You are a wonderful father, Tony. You amaze me every day, and I cannot wait to see how you handle two little DiNozzo's." Tony pressed a soft kiss to her lips, and then, noticing Alizah had nodded off on his shoulder he moved to tuck her in to her newly built big girl bed, a recent birthday present from Grandpa Gibbs.

Ziva leaned down, brushing a few stray strands of Alizah's dark hair off of her forehead and placed a kiss on her daughters' head. "Goodnight, tateleh. Mommy loves you," she said quietly. Tony gave his daughter a kiss as well, leaving her with a whispered "Goodnight Ali, daddy loves you too."

Turning back to Ziva he took her hand in his, intertwining their fingers as he lead her out of the room, hitting the lights as he passed the switch.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Shout out to all of you who caught the mistake! The flashback is supposed to be to Alizah's birth, not the new baby's. That will come. I caught that originally, fixed it, and then still posted the wrong chapter. Oops. Thanks for the heads up everyone! Here is the actual chapter 2…**

Twenty minutes later found husband and wife dressed and ready for bed, but neither were tired. Ziva sat between Tony's legs, resting against his chest. Her hair was down in its natural wave, just the way he liked it. Tony sat up against the headboard, and their hands were intertwined on Ziva's stomach. Removing his right hand from Ziva's, Tony brushed some of hair off of her shoulder, planting a soft kiss on the spot where her shoulder and neck met. He rested his chin on the spot before speaking.

"You're awfully quiet tonight."

She hummed. "I am thinking."

"Uh oh. That's dangerous!"

Ziva gave him a look and elbowed him gently in the rib.

"_I was thinking_ about the day Alizah was born."

"Ah yeah. I'll never forget that day."

"Neither will I. As I recall, you wanted to get started on another one the very next day…"

Tony smirked. "Can't blame a man for trying! I may have had to wait a bit, but I can't wait to meet this little DiNozzo in a couple of months."

They both smiled down at Ziva's stomach. After a moment's pause, Ziva spoke again.

"I still cannot believe you made it in time."

"You have no clue how hard I tried…" he trailed off.

"Make a hole! Expecting father coming through!" Tony's yell broke the relative silence of the ship. While he hadn't been reassigned as an Agent Afloat, he had been working a private case for Director Vance that sent him back on the USS Seahawk, much to his dismay. He hated the ship with all he had. As if the nightmares of all that had transpired the last time he was here weren't enough back in DC, being back on the ship made everything ten times worse. Little things such as the sound of the wakeup call to the gentle crash of the waves against the boat set off many unwanted flashbacks. On top of it all, Ziva was back in DC, pregnant and due any day. She had been placed on desk duty once she started showing, and then her maternity leave began the week before she was due, though Ziva planned to retire after the baby was born; this way they didn't have to worry about both parents being hurt or killed in the field, and Tony could remain on Gibbs' team with no further complications.

Rule 12 was never an issue as Tony and Ziva never officially dated before getting married. After all, they had been partners for nearly a decade. They knew each other inside and out, almost better than they knew themselves. Tony and Ziva had been married for a year before they decided that they were ready – or, at least as ready as they were going to get – to add to their family.

Bad timing sent Tony out to the Seahawk just a week before Ziva was due, the same day Ziva began her maternity leave. And of course, Baby DiNozzo decided to appear when most babies don't: right on the due date. Having just got the call from McGee, Tony had hastily run to his cabin, grabbed his go bag and was now making his way to the flight deck to catch a helicopter back to land. Thankfully, the Seahawk was in the Atlantic at the moment, only a two hour flight from Ziva. Dorneget was scheduled to replace Tony on the Seahawk the next morning, allowing Tony to spend as much time as needed with his wife and newborn.

Two and a half hours later, Tony had landed at Dulles and was on his way to George Washington University Hospital, where Ziva and the rest of Team Gibbs, including Abby, Ducky and Palmer were anxiously awaiting his arrival. Sprinting up to the desk, Tony got out a breathless "I'm looking for my wife, Ziva DiNozzo," before taking the time to breathe in deep and take in a big gulp of air.

"She's in room 721, Mr. DiNozzo." Tony smiled his thanks and sped off in that direction as fast as he could go. Finally reaching the corridor, Tony saw his "family," minus Gibbs out waiting for him to make an appearance. Abby was the first to see him.

"Tony! You made it!"

"Hey Abs. How close am I cutting it?"

"Last time Gibbs was out here, Ziva was only three centimeters dilated my dear boy," interrupted Ducky. "It seems to be taking a while. While that was nice while we were waiting for you to arrive, I'm not sure it will be nice for much longer. You know, this reminds me of a time when…" Ducky trailed off, turning to tell Jimmy the story, who gave Tony a nod and encouraging smile before turning his attention to the doctor.

Jimmy had been a big help to Tony and Ziva in preparing them for the baby. The little boy he and Breena had adopted was now nearly a year old, and they were loving every minute of being parents. Tony turned to McGee.

"Any problems?" he questioned.

"None so far."

"Thanks, Tim. For everything." Tony nodded at Alizah.

"Anytime, Tony."

With a quick hug to Abby, Tony took a deep breath, turned towards the door, and made his way inside.

**A/N: As a one shot, this was somewhere around 4300 words, so I decided to split it up into two, possibly three chapters. Updates should be fairly quick since I have most of the next chapter written, and I'm starting to get an idea of where I want this to go. Hope you liked it…let me know if you even want me to continue past chapter three! :) ~tivafanintheusa**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: This one is pretty long, because I didn't want to cut the chapter off again. Also, it's close to Christmas and I won't be updating as much between family being in town etc. Whenever the next chapter does come – I'm hoping for one more before Christmas Eve, but we'll see – it will be back in the present, most likely picking up back in Tony and Ziva's bedroom. And now…the birth!**

A quick glance around the room showed everyone had been in the room at some point. A vase of black roses sat on the windowsill, an obvious gift from Abby. Balloons sat in the corner, a mixture of light pink and baby blue as the couple chose to be surprised and did not know the sex of Baby DiNozzo. Knowing the possibilities remaining, they must have been from Ducky and Jimmy. The present that still sat unwrapped in a light blue, shiny wrapping with a pink bow one it must have been from McGee then – it looked like it could be a video game of some sort, Tony noted with a small smile. Though why McGee was giving his newborn a videogame he had no idea. He also noticed a small Christmas tree sitting in the corner. Judging by the color – black – it must have been from Abby as well.

Gibbs sat in a chair beside Ziva, holding her hand and rubbing a cool cloth over her forehead. She had obviously just had a contraction. Just then, Ziva noticed him in the doorway.

"Tony," she breathed in relief, "you made it."

He gave her his signature DiNozzo smile, the one that never failed to make her heart flutter, even in the middle of child birth apparently. "Of course I did, ninja. I would never miss the birth of my own child." He went over to her bed and stood next to Gibbs, leaning down to press a quick but sweet kiss to her lips. Breaking the kiss, Tony turned and held a hand out to his boss.

"Thanks for being here for her bo- dad," he said with a small blush. He looked away nervously, though he knew Gibbs realized he thought of him as a dad, and was fairly confident that Gibbs thought of him as a son. Still, the words weren't that easy to say.

"Any time, son." And, surprising both of them, Gibbs pulled Tony in for a quick "man-hug" before leaving the room and giving the couple some alone time. Tony turned back to Ziva, eyes closed and rested his forehead on hers.

"Mmmm. You look beautiful." She was sweaty, her hair was pulled back into a loose bun, and she was heavily pregnant, but Tony thought he had never seen her more beautiful.

"Tony. I am sweaty. And tired. And pregnant."

"With my child," he said cheekily, smiling wide and letting his emerald green eyes meet and get lost in her chocolate brown ones as he took her left hand in his right and intertwined their fingers. He saw a spark in her eyes as he got lost in her gaze. "You may not be beautiful by your standards, Sweet Cheeks, but to me you will _always _be beautiful. I love you."

Tears began flowing down Ziva's cheeks.

_Dumb pregnancy hormones. _"I love you too, Tony."

With that, she leaned up and closed the few inches between them and captured his lips in a kiss much longer than before, and filled with a passion she could feel him return. When they pulled apart, Tony sat down on the bed and took her other hand in his empty one.

"So, what do you think we're having?" he asked.

"I am not sure. The baby seems to have been sitting lower, so I think maybe a girl?"

"Ah, so I'm getting a little princess am I? I'd be perfectly okay with that," he grinned.

"Uh oh." Ziva's face scrunched up in pain and her grip on his hands tightened exponentially.

"It's alright Ziva, you can do it. Breathe through it. You got this. You're doing great." Tony gave her all the words of encouragement he could think of, talking her through the roughest contraction yet.

Six long hours later, Ziva was completely dilated, and had had her epidural. It was time to welcome Baby Boy or Girl DiNozzo to the world. The doctor moved Ziva back to delivery, and Tony flashed an excited yet nervous smile to the team as he followed behind, looking quite smart in his scrubs.

That smile was wiped off his face a few minutes later as Ziva yelled expletives as him in all the languages she knew, cursing him for "punching her up"- "I _knocked_ you up,"- and let him know quite explicitly that this was the last child they would be having.

Ten minutes after moving back to delivery, a loud cry was heard as Baby Girl DiNozzo entered the world.

"Baby girl born at 10:23 PM, December 23, 2014!" announced the nurse. She turned to Tony. "Dad, would you like to cut the cord?" Smiling, Tony cut the cord and then watched as the doctors went to take measurements and clean and wrap her up, after showing her to Ziva of course. As they waited, the couple talked about names.

"Well, you were right. It's a girl! Do you have any names in mind?"

"A few. Do you?"

"Just one."

"Yes?"

"Alizah Catarina DiNozzo. Pure joy. It's an Italian name and a Hebrew name, a little bit of you and a little bit of me, but one hundred percent us."

Ziva chewed on it for a moment. "Alizah Catarina…" She smiled. "I love it."

Just then, the doctor returned with Alizah, and handed her to her excited parents. She had dark hair like her mother, but unlike Ziva's it didn't seem to be curly. It was more like Tony's in that respect. She had Ziva's nose as well, but the eyes and mouth were all Tony's. She was a perfect blend of both of them.

"Hi Alizah. I am your mother. Your father and I are very excited to finally meet you. We love you very much, ahuva."

Tony took her then, and gazed down at her with a look of wonder in his eyes. The connection he felt with his daughter was instantaneous. "I've never felt so in love with someone I've only known for a short amount of time before- except you," he said, glancing over at Ziva, eyes shining.

"Hey Alizah. I'm your daddy. You are going to be daddy's little princess. You are going to be spoiled, and someday, you'll be a great big sister," he ended with a smirk at his wife, who just shook her head, chuckling to herself. He placed a soft kiss to Alizah's forehead that made Ziva's heart melt before handing his daughter back to her mother. Ziva took the baby in her arms, and she instantly began rooting for a breast.

"Yup, she's a DiNozzo!" Tony exclaimed with a laugh. All Ziva could do was shake her head.

"I thought this Tony was too mature for remarks like that?"

"Well, when opportunity knocks…" Tony trailed off.

Ziva looked at him, eyebrow raised.

"What?"

"What what?"

"What happens when opportunity knocks?"

Tony just grinned and shook his head. "And this is one of the many reasons why I love you."

Ziva smiled at him, winked and shrugged, turning her attention back to her baby girl. A few minutes later everyone else made their way in to congratulate the new parents, and meet the second NCIS baby. Tony took his daughter in his arms and turned to face his family.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Alizah Catarina DiNozzo," he announced, smiling down at her. He looked like a natural holding his newborn daughter, and it was in that moment that he knew there would be another DiNozzo baby in the not too distant future. Gibbs seemed to realize it as well, because he took the opportunity to whisper "you'll be a great dad, to her and her siblings. You look like a natural already," in Tony's ear before he held his granddaughter for the first time.

Tony smiled, sitting back next to his wife, arm around her shoulders as she cuddled into his side, watching their family meet the newest member for the first time.

"So Ziva," started Tony quietly, turning to look at his wife and talking so that only she could hear. "When do you want to make another one?" Ziva placed a soft kiss to his lips before answering.

"Soon. But let Alizah grow some before we start thinking that far ahead, hm?"

"Alright…how's tomorrow sound?"

"Tony…" she groaned. "I love that part of the process as much as you, but I would really rather not have two kids under the age of one. Also, I am pretty sure sex isn't allowed for _at least _a couple of months-"

"I know, Sweet Cheeks, I was just kidding. But I really do want another one someday."

"As do I." She smiled and placed a hand on his cheek, bringing his face to hers in a final, soft kiss before letting him get Alizah back from her family and seeing them off. Thirty minutes later Alizah was fed and asleep, and the new parents were drifting off themselves, cuddled in Ziva's bed. Tony's right arm was draped over Ziva's waist, and Ziva's left arm was around his waist, head on his chest and over his heart.

"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight…" Tony mumbled as he at last fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: One last chapter before Christmas. Just to clear up timing before I continue: Alizah was born in December 2014. Back here in the "present" it is April 2015, and the new baby is due in June. I'll say it right now this chapter is really just a filler with not much point to it. It's just a little bit of family time, but I like it and hope you guys do too. I won't be posting again until after Christmas, maybe after New Years. Until then, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Years to all!**

Tony looked down at Ziva. "She was the best Christmas present ever, wasn't she?"

"Yes." She looked at her stomach. "And this one will be a great Father's Day present."

"Oh yeah!" Tony winked at his wife. "Thank you very much."

Ziva yawned. "You are quite welcome."

"Looks like someone is ready for some sleep."

"Yes, Tony. You look quite…run down."

"Ha. I could stay up all night."

Ziva looked him up and down before responding. "I seem to have forgotten…remind me sometime?"

Tony leaned his forehead on hers before whispering, "Anytime, Mrs. DiNozzo. Anytime you want." He kissed her softly before helping her scoot forwards so that he could get out from behind her. Once Ziva was settled Tony came up behind her and wrapped his right arm around her waist, leaving his left his hand resting on her stomach. His chest was pressed against her back and the arm around Ziva's waist kept her held tightly to him. Ziva smiled to herself when she noticed Tony's hand subconsciously rubbing her swollen belly.

"Goodnight, Tony."

"Night Ziva. Love you."

She snuggled back into him as far as she could go. "I love you, too."

Alizah crept into her parents room early the next morning. Knowing her father liked his sleep, she went over to Ziva first.

"Mommy?"

Ziva opened one eye. "Mmm?"

"Is it time to get up yet?"

Looking at the clock and noting the time – 6:30 AM on a Saturday – Ziva shook her head. "No, tatelah, it is not time to get up yet." She paused for a moment. "How about we play a trick on Daddy though?"

Alizah smiled. "Okay!"

"Alright, come here." Ziva reached down and helped her three year old onto the bed, placing her on her lap. "Okay, I am going to sit you on Daddy's tummy and if that does not wake him up, tickle him okay?"

Alizah shook her head vigorously.

"But you have to be quiet until he wakes up, yes?"

Alizah nodded solemnly.

"Ok, up you go." Ziva placed her on Tony's chest. When he didn't move after a minute, she nodded her head, giving permission to tickle.

Tony – who had been awake the whole time and heard the whole grand plan – stayed still until Alizah stopped, confused. She looked over at Ziva. Before Ziva could do anything Tony let out a yell.

"Ahhhh Tickle Monster attack!" He began tickling his daughter in any spot he could reach.

"Ah! Daddy!" Alizah started giggling and attempting to get away. Tony stopped and placed a kiss on Alizah's cheek.

"It seems that we have a visitor!" he said turning to Ziva.

"Indeed. Whatever should we do?"

Tony thought about it for a minute. "We could…yeah, I got nuthin'."

Ziva smiled at their daughter and ran her hand through her hair. "How about we let her stay in here with us and we sleep a little bit longer. Would you like that, Alizah?"

She pouted. "More sleep? But I'm awake already!"

"I know. But it is early. And, you get to sleep in mommy and daddy's bed!"

She perked up when Ziva put it that way. "Okay. But can I get up soon?"

"Yes, you may."

"Okay good." With that she snuggled under the covers and into Tony's side.

Tony smiled down at her and then over at Ziva.

Ziva grinned at her husband. "She really is Daddy's little princess."

Tony smiled wider, if possible. "Yes she is. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm getting more sleep."

"See you in a couple of hours."

"If she lets us go that long…" Tony mumbled under his breath.

Ziva chuckled. "She may be daddy's little princess, but she is definitely my daughter."

"Yup. Both of you like to get up at crazy insane times because you are two crazy girls."

Ziva Gibbs-smacked his head lightly.

"Who I love." Tony added hastily. "Two crazy insane girls _who I love._"

"Better."

Tony smiled at her and reached across the bed to squeeze her hand lightly in his before getting comfortable again. With that, they snuggled back in to catch a few more precious hours of sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Wow…just wow. I'm so glad y'all liked the last chapter! I was really uncertain about that one. Seriously, you guys made my day with your reviews. THANK YOU! Sorry it's been a while since the last update. Family was at my house for the holidays, and then a couple of unexpected – but GREAT – surprises popped up, which kept me from writing. Also, I realized my timeline is screwed up, AGAIN. SO: Alizah was born in December 2012, making her 3 and a half in this chapter, now June of 2015. Hopefully that's the last screw up, but lets be real probably not. For now, let's continue!**

A month and a half had passed and Ziva was due to have the baby at any time. The nursery had been cleaned up in preparation for baby #2. Just like the first time, Tony and Ziva wanted to be surprised so the neutral colors on the wall that had been used with Alizah remained, along with all of the furniture and baby toys and clothes. The only thing missing from the room was its inhabitant.

Monday morning June 12 dawned bright and early. The alarm blared at 6:45 and after he flicked the annoying thing off, Tony rolled over towards Ziva and pulled her close.

"Morning," he mumbled as he nuzzled her nose.

Ziva opened her eyes sleepily. "Morning, Tony." She smiled up at him.

Tony kissed her softly on the lips. "How are my two favorite people this morning?" He trailed his had gently over her stomach.

Ziva's eyes followed his hand. "We are good." She looked back up at him. "What do you think it will be this time?"

"I don't know. But I know I like the surprise." He winked at her. "What do you want this time?"

"Mmmm…I do not think I really care. Do you?"

"I mean, I guess I'd like a boy – NOT Tony Jr.," he gave her a stern look. "But honestly I'll be happy with either."

All of a sudden Ziva's eyes grew wide. Tony looked at her.

"What?"

"It's time!"

"Time to get up?" Tony propped himself on his elbow and checked the clock over his shoulder. "Eh, it's 6:55. We've got a few more minutes at least."

"No! It's time for the baby! I am going into labor!"

Tony jumped out of bed. "Right. Alright you go get ready, I'll go wake Alizah and call Gibbs and –"

"Tony, calm down. We have done this before!"

"Yeah, but I wasn't here for this part last time!"

Ziva rolled out of bed and stood in front of Tony, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"Tony. It. Will. Be. Fine. Take a deep breath."

Tony inhaled.

"Now let it go slowly." He did.

"Better?"

"Much. Thanks." He grinned down at Ziva and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his forehead on hers. "I'm gonna be a father again!"

Ziva smiled wide. "Consider it an early Father's Day present."

"Thank you, my lady."

"You are very welcome. Now, go wake up Alizah and call Gibbs and the team."

With a final kiss Tony headed out to wake up Alizah, and Ziva headed into the bathroom to get ready.

Tony walked into Alizah's room, smiling at his little girl in the bed. Her hair was a mess, and the covers were all over the place. He opened the blinds and then sat on her bed.

"Alizah…" he said quietly. "Time to wake up…"

Alizah rolled around a bit, mumbling something incoherent.

"Come on…Mommy is having the baby today! You're going to be a big sister!"

Alizah shot up at that.

"What!"

"Yeah! Mommy's getting ready to go to the hospital right now. I'm about to call Grandpa Gibbs and he's going to come watch you for a bit, and then bring you up to see us once your baby brother or sister is born. Now, let's get you ready shall we?"

Ten minutes later Alizah was dressed and sitting at the table eating cereal and Tony went into the living room to call Gibbs.

"Yeah DiNozzo."

"Boss, it's time! Ziva's getting ready now. Can you come over and watch Alizah for a bit – and maybe call everyone else too?"

"Yup. On my way – and DiNozzo?"

"Yeah Boss."

"Congratulations." Tony smiled.

"Thanks boss." With that the line went dead. Tony walked back into the kitchen.

"Still doing alright, princess?"

"Yeah daddy."

"Alright. I'm going to go check on Mommy. Grandpa Gibbs should be hear soon."

"Yay!"

Tony grinned at her and then turned to head back to the bedroom, nearly running into Ziva in the process.

"I guess you're ready then?"

"Yes. Is Gibbs on his way?"

"Yep. Should be hear any minute. Here, give me your suitcase and I'll put it in the car."

When he walked back in, he had Gibbs following him. Gibbs walked straight to Ziva.

"Congrats, Ziver." He kissed her on the cheek.

"Thank you, Gibbs. And thanks for watching Alizah."

"Course. Now get outta here!" He smiled. Tony and Ziva grinned and rushed out the door. Gibbs picked up Alizah and walked to the front door so they could wave to Tony and Ziva as they drove away. After they had turned the corner and gone out of sight Gibbs turned back into the house.

"Ok, I need to call Ducky and Jimmy, and Uncle Tim and Aunt Abby to let them know what's happening. How about I turn on some cartoons and then we can play a game once I'm done?"

"Ok Grandpa Gibbs!" Gibbs smiled. He loved hearing that.

Back at the hospital Tony and Ziva had checked in and had a room. Ziva had changed and they were currently in between contractions. She was already five centimeters dilated. She supposed what they said was true – though she had no idea who "they" were – but it did seem like birth went faster the second time around than the first. It was true for her, anyway. She looked over at Tony.

"Tony?" He had been dozing off and on, knowing that the next weeks wouldn't include much sleep. At his name he opened one eye and looked over at her.

"Hm?"

"Do you have any names picked out?" Tony stretched before answering.

"Not like I did with Alizah. I have a couple of ideas, but that's it. Do you?"

"Yes. I have two; one for a boy and one for a girl."

"Can I hear them?"

She smirked. "Nope. But I'll tell you after he or she is born."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Crazy ninja."

Ziva grinned again, but it was very quickly wiped off of her face when another contraction hit. She grabbed Tony's hand and squeezed hard.

Tony held on as long as he could, trying not to yell out himself. To distract himself from his pain he watched the monitor.

"You're so close, Ziva. Almost there," he drew out the there. "And…done!" Ziva sat back, exhausted.

"I am so ready for this child to come out."

"Me too. But I am so proud of you, Ziva." Ziva smiled tiredly. Just then the doctor came in to check on Ziva's progress.

"We're close, Mrs. DiNozzo. Eight centimeters down, two to go. Let's go ahead and get you that epidural, and then it should be close to time to take you back to delivery."

An hour later Ziva was fully dialated and had had the epidural. They were back in delivery now.

"Alright, Mrs. DiNozzo. When the next contraction hits, I want you to push as hard as you can."

Ziva nodded and took a deep breath, grabbing Tony's hand.

"Okay, here it comes! Now PUSH!"

Ziva squeezed the life out of Tony's hand again, yelling and screaming. Tony allowed himself a small smile as he had a sense of déjà vu. It was exactly like Alizah's birth. The pain quickly brought him back to the present. The contraction ended and Ziva laid back, sweaty and panting.

"Ok, Mr. and Mrs. DiNozzo. I can see the head. The next contraction should do it." The couple exchanged smiles. Tony rubbed his thumb over Ziva's hand.

"We're so close. You ready?"

"Very." Tony kissed her forehead. "You're amazing, you know." Ziva smiled.

"I know." She winked at him.

"Here we go," the doctor cut in. "And…push! Here it comes! You're almost there, Mrs. DiNozzo…and….IT'S A…"

_A/N: Hahaha! That was longer than I planned, but I figure it makes up for the long break between updates. Don't hate me for the cliffhanger – I'm actually letting you guys decide whether Alizah gets a brother or a sister. I'll give you until this Thursday to vote, and then the chapter will be up either Friday or Saturday. Aaaaaand…GO!_


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Ok, first off, I'M SORRY I SUCK AT UPDATING WHEN I SAY I WILL. I forgot when I said it'd be up by Friday or Saturday that I would be spending those days moving stuff back into my dorm…I live in the same town I go to college in, but dang moving still took a lot of work! Classes started on Monday, so I'm taking a break from writing until I can get a handle on what my days will look like each week, and when I'll have time to write. So, sadly, that means this will be the last chapter of this story. THANK YOU to everyone who has read and reviewed! This is my first story, and I'm so glad ya'll liked it! To the anon asking about McAbby: they aren't explicitly together, but as you'll see in this chapter, it will be strongly hinted at – I ship them too, but definitely not as much as Tiva! And now…the gender of Tony and Ziva's new baby…will be revealed somewhere in this chapter! ;) Thank you all so, SO much!**

**~ tivafanintheusa**

Gibbs grabbed his phone from the bedside table, noticing it was going off – he had put it on silent when he started the movie for Alizah. Removing Alizah from his lap and putting her against the arm rest of the sofa again, Gibbs walked into the kitchen before answering.

"Yeah?"

"Boss? Tell Alizah she's a big sister, and then bring her down here!"

Gibbs smirked, hearing his happy Senior Field Agent and imagining a smile a mile wide on his face. "What should I tell her it is?"

Tony smirked on the other side of the line. "Tell her it's a surprise." And with that, he hung up before the Bossman could ask any more questions. He was bursting to tell the news, but he and Ziva had decided to tell everyone all at once – after telling Alizah privately. It was more fun that way.

Gibbs shook his head, but mentally forgave DiNozzo for hanging up on him. He remembered the day Kelly was born, remembered the excitement of finally knowing if he and Shannon would be parents to a little boy or girl, remembered bursting with anticipation to tell his dad. Breaking out of his reflections Gibbs walked back to the living room.

"Gotta pause the movie for now, 'Lizah. It's time to go see your parents and your new little brother or sister."

Alizah looked up at him. "What is it?!"

"Don't know. Your dad wouldn't tell me. But the sooner we get there, the sooner you'll know."

With that, Alizah popped off the couch, racing to find her light up Velcro shoes. Running back to Grandpa Gibbs, she nearly bumped into his legs before getting out a breathless "ready!" Gibbs raised his eyebrow.

"Jacket?"

With a huff, Alizah ran to her room and got her jacket off of her bed.

"_Now _I'm ready."

Gibbs grinned. He was ready too.

The twenty minute drive to the hospital seemed to never end. Alizah kept up a constant stream of chatter, talking both to herself and to Gibbs, who made sure to repeat everything Alizah said to him so that she knew he was listening. Finally, they made it to the hospital and headed towards Tony and Ziva's room. Tony had texted him the number, asking that Alizah come in by herself first. When they reached the door Gibbs let go of Alizah's hand and squatted down to her level.

"Alright, you know who's behind that door?"

"Mommy and Daddy and a baby!"

"That's right. They want you to go in by yourself first, so I'm gonna open the door for you but then wait out here, okay?"

"Kay."

"And be careful with your mom, alright? You can run at your dad, but be gentle with mom."

"Alright. Can I go now?"

Gibbs nodded. "Yeah, you can go in now." He pushed open the door, smiling wide when Alizah caught sight of Tony.

"Daddy!" she shrieked as she ran to him. As badly as he wanted to peak at the new baby, he shut the door again before he could tempt himself.

"Hey Ali!" Tony smiled, catching his daughter in his arms and giving her a tight hug. He held her on his hip. "Have a good day?"

"Yeah. Where's the baby?"

Tony grinned. Straight to the point, just like her mom. "The doctors are doing some important stuff right now. Measurements and stuff like that."

"Oh."

"But they'll be back soon. Wanna know what it is?"

She nodded.

"Well then, why don't you go see mommy and she can tell you?" With that he placed her on the bed next to Ziva, giving his wife a wink and a smile as he did so.

"Hi mommy!" Alizah gave her a quick hug, being careful not to hurt her accidentally like Grandpa Gibbs had said.

"Hi there. I hear you have a question for me."

Alizah nodded seriously. "Mhmm."

"What is it?"

"What is the baby?"

Ziva's eyes met Tony's and they exchanged small, quick, intimate smiles.

"What do you think it is?"

"A boy or a girl." Came Alizah's prompt, matter of fact reply. Tony choked on his laughter. The girl was going to have a sense of humor similar to his, he could already tell. Grinning at Tony again, Ziva looked back at Alizah, brushing her hair back behind her ears.

"Well, yes. But which one?"

"Um. I don't know."

Ziva smiled. "Alizah Catarina DiNozzo, you are the proud big sister of…a baby brother!"

Alizah's smiled stretched ear to ear. "What's his name?"

"His name is Dakota Grant DiNozzo. Do you know what that means?"

"No."

"It means great friend, because Daddy and I want you two to be great friends."

Just then the door opened, revealing a nurse coming back with Dakota. The nurse handed him over to Ziva.

"Here we go. You can hold him for a few minutes. It looks like there's family waiting outside to meet the little guy?"

"Yup." Tony smiled. "We wanted his big sister to meet her first before calling everyone else in. After all, it's not every day you become a big sister, isn't that right, Alizah?"

"Right!" The nurse smiled to herself as she left. What a cute family.

Alizah turned to Ziva. "Can I hold him?"

"Yes you may. But first, you need to sit up straight. Make sure you keep a hand behind his head, okay?"

"Yes mommy." Ziva gently placed Dakota in Alizah's lap and arms, and kept an arm around her to help keep his head up. Feeling Tony's eyes on them, Ziva looked over at him. He was staring at her with wonder and amazement in his eyes. His eyes were bright with excitement, and if she wasn't mistaken, tears. She blushed slightly under his gaze, offering a shy smile. She turned back to Alizah when she heard her begin to speak.

"Hi Dakota. You're small, like my dolls. Except you're real, so I guess you aren't _exactly _like my dolls. But anyway, we're gonna be best friends. I love you!" Noticing the silence in the room, she glanced up at her parents. Focusing on Tony, she asked, "what?"

"Oh, nothing. You're going to be a great big sister, princess. Wanna go get Grandpa Gibbs and everyone else now?"

"Yeah!" She carefully climbed down from the bed and raced to the door, eager to introduce the rest of her family to her little brother. Poking her head out of the door she looked around, making sure everyone was there and was looking at her.

"Come on, come meet my brother!" Gibbs smiled wide at the new of a baby boy. Abby squealed with excitement, and Tim, Jimmy and Ducky too grinned at the thought of a DiNozzo boy. Alizah lead the way back into the room, running back to stand next to Tony.

As soon as she saw Ziva, Abby made her way to the bed, giving her a careful but excited hug. "So it's a boy!"

Ziva couldn't contain her smile, the perfect picture of a proud mother. "Yes. And he is perfect."

"He looks a lot like Tony," mentioned Tim. "His hair is lighter than Alizah's, like Tony's, but it's curly like yours Ziva."

Ziva nodded. "You can't see his eyes since he is asleep, but his eyes are the same color as mine too. Except for that, he looks exactly like baby pictures I have seen of Tony."

"You were a cute baby, Tony!" Everyone turned to look at Jimmy. "I mean, you're not cute_ now_…I'm not saying that you don't look good, but…I mean…ah…" finally he just shook his head and gave up at the other's laughter.

"It's alright, Autopsy Gremlin. I know what you meant. Thanks." Tony smiled and Jimmy sighed in relief.

"You're welcome."

They were all quiet for a moment before Gibbs broke the silence. "So, what's his name?"

"Dakota Grant DiNozzo. Dakota means 'great' and Grant means 'friend', because we want Alizah and Dakota to be great friends."

"And they're already getting along great," said Tony, sharing an intimate smile with Ziva.

"We should take a new family picture of you guys! The four DiNozzo's!" exclaimed Abby. "Ziva, you scoot to your right a little bit and make room for Tony. Tony, you sit next to her with Alizah on your lap, and Ziva, hold Dakota in your right arm."

Once they were all settled Tony slipped his arm around Ziva's shoulders, holding her close to his side. "I love you, Ziva David DiNozzo. So much."

"I love you, too Tony." She smiled up at him as he leaned down and placed a warm kiss on her lips, smiling against her mouth when he heard the camera go off. He didn't think he could think of any moment more picture perfect than that one.

_A/N: I hope you all enjoyed the story! Just a couple of side notes. One, figuring out a name was HARD. The vote was overwhelmingly in favor of Tony and Ziva having a boy, which surprised me. I thought it would be more balanced. While searching, I found that "Tiva" apparently means good in Hebrew. That may or may not be right, but just something to think about if you are/were a big Tiva fan like myself. Anyway, thanks again for reading! Like I said, it'll be a couple of weeks before I start posting again. Talk to yall then!_

_ ~tivafanintheusa_


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